Preparing high-school physics teachers

Abstract

By taking on a significant part of the education of high-school physics teachers, physics departments in the US can inspire their students and help ensure a scientifically educated population.

Middle and high school teachers' implementation reflections of photonics and optics curriculum in a qualitative study

“…Generally, the research suggests the teachers need to know more content, how to teach the content, and what tools to teach content; it also shows the traditional methods for delivering professional development has fallen short in meeting these needs 26,22,23 . PBLTPD was intentionally designed to address these deficiencies and others described in the literature from three different disciplines: a) teacher education (teachers in general and science teachers in particular), b) information technology education, and c) adult education 21,27 .…”

“…Through a hybrid format, PBLTPD introduced teachers to the physics of light content that is often not provided in continuing education opportunities at local schools for teachers 23,24 . While PBLTPD model focused mainly on light and optics, it also incorporated laboratory tours and field experiences with experts in physics, engineering, and technology-an experience often viewed as one of the essential elements in preparing teachers for 21st century schools, yet one that is not commonly offered through teacher professional development 24 .…”

Lighting the way: photonics leaders II (PL2) optics and photonics teacher professional development

“…The remaining two-thirds of physics teachers are unprepared to teach physics content to students. In response to this trend, the National Science Foundation and American Physical Society 21 st Century Campaign Committee supported the establishment of the Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) in 1999 to improve teacher education programs and prepare future physics teachers 1 . PhysTEC collaborative efforts with universities and other organizations have contributed significantly towards improving physics and physical science teachers' deep understanding of physics concepts and experience with research-based pedagogical approaches mainly on the secondary level.…”

“…One-third of the 23,000 United States high school physics teachers enter the field with degrees in physics or physics education 1 . The remaining two-thirds of physics teachers are unprepared to teach physics content to students.…”

A theory-guided research agenda for physics teacher education

“…Teacher preparation should: attend to pre-service teachers' dispositions (attitudes and beliefs about teaching and learning, students, etc.) [2][3][4], provide sufficient duration and coherence with compelling vision [3,5,6], develop knowledge (with emphasis on subject-specific content knowledge for teaching) [3,5,7,8], provide opportunities for teaching experience [3,6,7,9], shape a community of teachers and learners [6,[10][11][12], and prepare for life-long learning [6,7,9]. The common denominator of both general and physics-specific [8] recommendations seem to be a focus on providing PSTs with prolonged, thorough, and extensive experience.…”